The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1887-02-19

great deal of her, only when she had
something new to make up. or some
thing old to alter over; and then. she
and Tennis were out most Of the time.
strolling among the rocks or planting a
new flower garden, or she was going to
meet him coming from his work. or run
ming into the neat neighbor's aero the
pasture, and had almost nothing of her,
except at trying-on times. used to
wonder at Louie then, a little, some
times; not for not sitting at home sew
ing and helping me on the work, because
yoa might as we'll have asked hum
ming bird to do that but for not taking
more interest in the house and keeping
things trig and tidy. And used to be
afraid that if were Dennis, and there
were holeI in my socks. and half the but
tons of my clothes. and my coat and hat
never brushed, and / came home and
found nothing for dinner not even the
cloth laid-and my wife of enjoying
he.self somewhere else, and the dust
everywhere so that l could write my
name, that shouldn't feel recompensed
for all that by having my wife stroll
round hanging on my arm, looking as
pretty as new-blown rose. And yet al
though the house must often have been
thoroughly uncomfortable TO Dennis, he
never gave sign that it was not paradise
itself; and l came to the conclusion that
he didn't really miss those other things,
and was satisfied with what he had.
used to go up into the Eden some
times without being sent for, and mend
up everything, and put the whole house
straight; but couldn't 60 SO very often
on account OF my work; and, BESIDE, l
had sensation of intruding where two
people wanted but each other.
But at last the babies came; and then
/ had to 60. And Louie was wild with
delight, and insisted on having them
laid on the pillow close to her cheek, and
talked and laughed and cooed and cried
to them with such glittering eyes and
dazzling color in her face, and said it was
all she wanted, even if she were in Heaven
to morrow.
"But your husband, Iouie!' I ex-
claimed.
ooh. husbands are all very WE'LL" she
said. "But haven't been such an aw-
fully good wife. You'd have made
Dennis a great deal better wife, dear, for
the matter of that But my little sons !
Oh. know could be a good mother"
She was in Heaven tomorrow, the
dear little innocent soul, and one Of the
babies went with her.
l was glad that the little badly went
too. For l remembered that she had
said then she would have all she wanted !;
because it troubled me to think that, for
all his grief to day, Dennis wouldn't be
like any other man in the world II he
didn't marry to- morrow; and the other
wife would have the long life with him,
and become dearer and dearer. and Louie
would fade into just beautiful dream !;
and when the next life came, it would be
the dear wife of the long continuing
time that would be his companion. and
Louie would be all alone If it wasn't for
the baby, and she had sail that the baby
was enough. Of course all this was only
a sort of flash through my consciousness,
not any deliberate thought. Nobody
could have thought about anything Of
the kind who saw Dennis's grief. He
was all beside himself. / don't like to
tell you what he said and did; was
half afraid sometimes that thunderbol.
would fall and dest oy him; and then
again / was afraid that he would destroy
himself. l don't know how we ever con-
trived to get him to let Louie be placed
in her casket, and / thought he would
jump into the very grave itself. But at last
that agoni ing time-every moment Of
which knows how to give a fresh stab
was ever, and the worse time came,
of the absence and silence, and wild,
vain, bitter longing. And Cennis couldn't
look at the baby. "Take it away" he
said. 1T killed her" So toak him into